Abstract [en]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the diffusion possibilities of agile methods, and project managers' experiences regarding the motivation and implementation of agile methods.

Theory: The following study has been done using Røvik's theories of institutionalized organization recipes. The theory of the diffusion of recipes has been used to analyze whether agile methods have the properties in order to spread. To investigate the motivation for using agile methods, the motivation phase has been used. In addition, the adoption phase with focus on translation of recipes has been used to analyze the implementation of agile methods.

Method: A qualitative method with a deductive approach has been used in this study, as these were considered appropriate for the purpose of the study. The primary data has been collected through semi-structured interviews with project managers chosen through a convenience sample. The study has also been enriched with secondary data in the form of conceptual literature on agile methods.

Conclusions: Based on the chosen theory, the possibilities for diffusion of agile methods appear to be weak. The stories told by the project managers regarding the implementation of agile methods show that the methods have been adapted, translated according to the circumstances of the projects. The methods that have been used and combined are Scrum and Kanban. The concepts of iteration, communication, customer and flexibility were recurring arguments for using the methods.